UK hot chicken brand Sides, founded by YouTube collective The Sidemen, is expanding into the Middle East through a 51-restaurant master franchise agreement with Element F&B for Restaurant Management, part of Kuwait-based Al Kharafi Group.
The agreement will bring Sides to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar and Oman, with the first restaurants planned for Egypt and Kuwait later in 2026. The deal is one of Sides’ largest franchise agreements to date and includes a longer-term pipeline for further regional expansion.
Element F&B is owned by Eyad Al-Kharafi, who identified the opportunity to bring Sides to the region and has led the partnership. Muneera Al-Kharafi will oversee restaurant management and operations for the venture.
The partnership gives Sides a regional operator with significant foodservice experience. Al Kharafi Group, founded in 1952, operates across more than 25 countries, employs more than 100,000 people and generates approximately $4 billion in annual revenue. The group was also a founding partner of Americana Group, which has operated major franchise brands including KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee’s, Krispy Kreme and TGI Fridays in the region.
Sides was launched in 2021 by the seven members of the Sidemen and is part of Hero Brands’ Virtual Hero portfolio. The concept specialises in fried chicken, with its menu spanning burgers, loaded chicken, wings and multiple sauces and heat levels. Its franchise model is focused on multi-unit operators, with current franchise information indicating an investment of around £350,000 per unit.
The Middle East deal follows Sides’ international debut in Singapore in June 2025, where it has since opened a second location in Sentosa. The brand has also announced expansion plans for India, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, including locations in Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh.
In the UK, Sides currently operates restaurants in London, Essex, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, with additional openings planned across England, Scotland and Wales.
For Sides, the agreement marks a shift from individual overseas openings towards large-scale master franchising, giving the brand a six-market Middle East development platform and a partner with established regional restaurant infrastructure.
Sides co-founder Ethan Payne (Behzinga) said demand from customers in the Middle East had been building for years, adding that Egypt and Kuwait would be the first markets to launch before the brand expands further across the region.
